30. New Jersey Devils : Kasperi Kapanen 29. Los Angeles Kings : Brendan Lemieux 28. Tampa Bay Lightning : Julius Honka 27. Chicago Blackhawks : Conner Bleackley 26. Montreal Canadiens : Nick Schmaltz 25. Boston Bruins : Alex Tuch 24. Anaheim Ducks : Jack Dougherty 23. Colorado Avalanche : Travis Sanheim 22. Pittsburgh Penguins : Nikolay Goldobin
21. The St. Louis Blues select Right Wing Joshua Ho-Sang of the Windsor Spitfires in the OHL
5’11, 167lbs, 1996-01-22 : 18 years old
67 – 32g – 53a – 85p
Now he’s not really a Blues type of player, I don’t think people really equate guys like Tarasenko or Schwartz as them either and how has that worked out right? Ho-Sang is very reminiscent of two players, Nazem Kadri and Mike Ribeiro. He has some of slickest hands and moves in the draft and unlike many players really brings to mind the skills of a dangler. A lot of his offense comes from his excellent zone entry and ability to squirm around on the power play and make open ice for himself. He has some nasty to his game and isn’t shy about throwing dirty hits if he wants to…plus he has a bit of a reputation for diving. Ho-Sang has that dynamic ability to change a game on his own that is very rare, it’s the consistency to do so that is so frustrating with him. His speed and offensive instincts are excellent and when you watch him go to work you can see that there are NHL skills there.
Defensive acumen and his size are what will need to change quickly to make it to the NHL level. He plays with a chip on his shoulder and isn’t afraid to throw dangerous hits and yap at opponents. When you’re that slight, you’ll probably get nailed into oblivion. Leafs fans would note that this is the same rhetoric spewed throughout the media while Nazem Kadri was developing and this is because they are extremely similar players as mentioned before. Ho-Sang might take 4 years to develop, maybe 5, but if he can fix the little things and get an NHL body, he has star potential. If not…well every draft has some busts and Robbie Schremp is lonely out in Switzerland these days.
Comparison : Nazem Kadri
Thank for reading.